JULIE

“Are you going to make me ask?”

As I chew through the last of my half-burnt toast, I raise a brow at Regina. “No, not really.”

Regina groans. “Sweetie, I guess you're going through a lot of trauma but I don't want you to make the worst decision by moving on too fast.”

As l slurp the slightly bitter coffee, while dreading the thought of having a new roommate just when I was beginning to enjoy the empty place.

Tipping my head sideways, the corner of my lips curls up. “Guess I beat your dating record.” I sing.

Regina raises a palm in protest. “You can't handle the emotional pressure like I do.”

“Gina, I've got to go,” I set my mug down, grab my lunch bag from the table, and backpack on my chair. “Clean up, will ya?”

Then I walk out of the apartment.

I arrive at work, but as I find myself heading for my desk, I realize that a new guy's occupying it. The second he lifts his head from his computer, I freeze and give him an apologetic stare.

As I stride into my office, I nearly break into a laugh; old habits die hard, apparently.

My assistant reminds me via text that the design review meeting with the other executives, AKA Hunter, will be there.

My assistant reminds me via text about the final design review meeting with the other executives, AKA the board and Hunter.

It's not until he walks in that the meeting starts, right at the time my knees grow weak as I stand near the projector screen, squeezing the remote hard. Hunter, the jerk, clears his throat.

“Let's get this show on the road,” He says, before settling into his chair and flashing me a quick wink.

I swear that my tongue nearly rolls into the back of my throat, causing my words to stutter.

“Um...of course, Mr. McKnight,” I squeak, and click on the first slide. “We ran a program to show what the full model of the Nostalgia Wall looks like.”

I hear a slight snort, looking just in time to see Sylvie roll her eyes.

I press my lips together and give her a straight look. “Yes, that's the actual name.”

“Very scrapbooky for a high-profile neighborhood, don't you think, sir?” Sylvie asks, while watching me.

Annoyance bubbles inside my stomach. Not this again.

Everyone else's faces grow tense, which, to be honest, isn't a good sign.

“Well, Ms. Demetri, as long as we make the surface easy to clean up, I fully approve,” Hunter declares.

While everyone looks slightly relieved, Sylvie's face drops in disbelief.

“Thank you, Mr. McKnight,” I reply, while playfully twitching my brows at Sylvie in victory.

I switch on the next slide. “My team agreed on this lobby design, it's got a double-height ceiling that gives a lot of room for skylight, and with this setup, it will definitely make the homeowners feel right at home.”

Hunter clasps his fingers together above the desk as he studies the image closely. “I see a flaw right there.”

Despite the air conditioning running, cold sweat pours down my back. “You do?”

Hunter nods. “Yeah, that ceiling is going to increase the heating costs. My investors aren't going to buy this.”

Oh crap, I didn't think of that.

“Well, that doesn't sound good,” Sylvie chimes in a mock sad tone.

I ignore her. How do I resolve this? My team exchanged nervous glances. Hunter watches me. I can tell he wants me to find a reasonable solution.

I look out the window, then widen my eyes.

Of course!

“It's a long shot, but we could use triple pane glass, save energy, and it costs very little,” I say.

Hunter smirks a bit. “Nice thinking.”

But Sylvie, refusing to back down, jumps right in. “Except for the part where there's also maintenance, what if it leaks?”

“Then they'll call a repair guy,” Hunter counters her with a serious gaze of impatience. “Miss Carter, I appreciate your occasional input, but Julie is the Senior Artist, and I expected this design to have passed through careful teamwork. If you had questions, why didn't you do that at your meeting?”

I just love the way Sylvie's face falls into humiliation; she crosses her arms, and her lips part with shock.

“I...I er, yeah, we had that meeting.” She says carefully. “I used to be SDA at my former company—”

Hunter cuts in. “Then adapt.”

He turns to me with a relaxed expression. “Please continue.”

It was the best hour of my life.

When the meeting is finally over, Hunter approaches me.

“So, congratulations,” he says.

“That was kind of intense back there,” I reply, while watching Sylvie leave the room. “I can't believe how hard the last woman did this job; no wonder she retired.”

“Do you have any plans to do the same?” He asks.

I scoff. “Not on your life.”

He chuckles a bit and takes my chin in his hand and presses his lips to mine.

The spark that courses through my skin immediately causes me to jerk my head away, staring at him in surprise.

“Are you crazy?” I whisper, looking behind him. Although we're alone, and there were no CCTV cameras set up, it still doesn't settle the panic rush in me.

“Sorry, I...” He licks his lips. “Got caught up.”

I close my eyes. “Look, the first time was a huge mistake.”

Hunter's eyes narrow. “You kissed me back.”

My shoulders slump. “Fine, it was the heat of the moment.”

“Same thing that happened right now.” He bends his head.

I press my palm to his chest. “Okay, stop.”

Then I move past him and out of the room, finally letting out a huge breath.

“Shit.”

During lunch break, I used to sit in the cafeteria, but now I get to hang with the big boys in the executive lounge.

But unfortunately, their faces don't exactly scream ‘Hey Julie, come sit with us and talk about your life.’ Everyone seems to have their own friends, and suddenly, it feels like high school again...for adults.

Hunter's not here for some reason, not that I care.

I find a table and dig into my food. In the background, someone's cell phone chimes.

When I look up, I see the others gathering over Luke Barnes, head of marketing, as he scrolls through his phone, chattering about something, while occasionally glancing at me.

Curiosity gets the best of me, so I get off my butt and walk over to them.

“Hey guys, what's happening?” I ask.

Until the photo on Luke's phone catches my attention.

Holy God.

I snatch Luke's phone. “Hey, let me see this.”

I see a post from Ted gushing over the selfie we took at my apartment.

‘Spent the evening with my son's amazing girlfriend, feel better Julie.’

I open my mouth and shakily hand Luke back his phone.

“You and Hunter are dating?” Someone asks in alarm.

“Yeah, is this even allowed?” Another murmurs.

I take a step back, while I picture myself walking out of the building with all my belongings.

My career might as well be over.

Then I spin around and jog out of there.